Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers won the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player Award receiving 13 of the 28 first-place votes. In all, six different players received a first place vote showing how wide-open the field was.

Three Rays were represented in the voting, with Evan Longoria receiving the most attention with his tenth place finish. He received two fourth place votes and was named on eight different ballots. Ben Zobrist finished 16th, receiving two votes, including one fifth-place vote. And James Shields finished 18th, appearing on six ballots. However, his highest vote was a single ninth place vote.

This was the third time that three Rays received votes in the MVP voting. It is the fourth straight year that Longoria has received votes and the second time in Zobrist’s career.